Patentable/Patents/US-8138903
US-8138903

Mirror assembly

PublishedMarch 20, 2012
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror casing having a human machine interface thereat. The mirror assembly includes a display device disposed behind the transflective mirror reflector of the interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through the transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information. The display device may include a video screen. The user actuatable input may be actuatable by a user to operate at least one element of circuitry disposed in the mirror casing. The human machine interface may be at least partially at a bezel portion of the casing, or may be at least partially at a rear casing portion of the mirror casing.

Patent Claims
20 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon; wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing; wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button, a touch sensor and a proximity sensor; wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement; wherein adjustment of said mirror casing via said pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the equipped vehicle; circuitry disposed in said mirror casing; wherein said at least one user actuatable input provides user input to at least one element of said circuitry; wherein said circuitry is associated with a display device disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen; and wherein said circuitry comprises, at least in part, a part of a humidity control system of the equipped vehicle.

2

2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor that senses a condition at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

3

3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 2 , wherein said condition comprises the presence of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

4

4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 3 , wherein, responsive to said sensing by said sensor, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the equipped vehicle is activated.

5

5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 4 , wherein said activation of said heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is responsive to a detection of a threshold level at said in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

6

6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 5 , wherein said threshold level comprises a threshold level of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

7

7. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein said sensor comprises a capacitive moisture sensor.

8

8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said display device comprises a back-projected microdisplay.

9

9. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said at least one user actuatable input is illuminated by backlighting.

10

10. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one element of said at least one user actuatable input is integrally formed at said bezel portion of said mirror casing during a molding operation that forms said bezel portion of said mirror casing.

11

11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10 , wherein said at least one user actuatable input includes at least one actuating portion that is insert molded with said bezel portion of said mirror casing.

12

12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said circuitry is disposed on a printed circuit board and comprises a switch element that is actuated consequent on a user actuation of said at least one user actuatable input.

13

13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said circuitry is associated with a moisture sensor for detecting moisture on the in-cabin surface of the vehicle windshield and wherein said moisture sensor comprises a capacitive moisture sensor.

14

14. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon; wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing; wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button disposed generally at a bezel portion of said mirror casing; wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement; wherein adjustment of said mirror casing via said pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the equipped vehicle; wherein a display device is disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen; and a sensor that senses a condition at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

15

15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14 , wherein said at least one user actuatable input provides user input to at least one element of circuitry disposed in said mirror casing.

16

16. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14 , wherein said condition comprises the presence of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

17

17. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 16 , wherein, responsive to said sensing by said sensor, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the equipped vehicle is activated, and wherein said activation of said heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is responsive to a detection of a threshold level of moisture at said in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

18

18. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon; wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing; wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button disposed generally at a bezel portion of said mirror casing; wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement; wherein adjustment of said mirror casing via said pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the equipped vehicle; wherein a display device is disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen; and a sensor that senses a condition at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said condition comprises the presence of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said sensor comprises a capacitive moisture sensor.

19

19. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 18 , further comprising circuitry disposed in said mirror casing, and wherein said circuitry comprises, at least in part, a part of a humidity control system of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said circuitry comprises a switch element that is actuated consequent on a user actuation of said at least one user actuatable input.

20

20. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 18 , wherein a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the equipped vehicle is activated in response to said sensor sensing a threshold level of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

January 26, 2010

Publication Date

March 20, 2012

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Cite as: Patentable. “Mirror assembly” (US-8138903). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8138903

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